When fans think about Ash Ketchum's best Pokémon, Pikachu instantly comes to mind. Others, like Charizard, Sceptile, and Greninja, will also pop into the conversation. They represent the best that Ash's team has to offer, and they have countless fans around the world.
However, there are other mons that Ash caught that fans barely remember. The young Trainer is no Goh when it comes to catching Pokémon, but he does have an impressive group under his command. And while they were all pivotal parts of his journey, some barely had enough screentime and ended up forgotten by even the most loyal fans.
Gible
Ash's Sinnoh team included some of Generation IV's most powerful Pokémon: Infernape, Torterra, Gliscor, and Staraptor. Even Buizel made an impression, thanks to its unique personality and the fact that it started as Dawn's Pokémon.
Poor Gible got the short end of the stick. Despite being part of Garchomp's evolutionary line, Gible never evolves under Ash's care, not even into Gabite. It stays a Gible throughout its time in the anime, despite its considerable strength in battle. Gible was not a bad or forgettable Pokémon by any means, but Ash's Sinnoh team was so OP that this poor dragon ended up outshined by its fellow teammates.
Swellow
Ash's first catch in every region is usually the regional bird. In Hoenn, he cements this tradition by catching a Taillow. It doesn't take long before it evolves, becoming the overly confident and prideful Swellow. The bird turned out to be very stubborn, and like Ash, it too enjoyed a good challenge.
Despite being one of Ash's least memorable Pokémon, Swellow is the star of one of the Pokémon anime's most rule-breaking battles. When Ash battles Tate and Liza, he orders Pikachu to use Thunder on itself and Swellow, "supercharging" both Pokémon. The move made no sense whatsoever, but it at least made for a thrilling battle.
Torkoal
Torkoal ranks as one of Ash's most emotional Pokémon ever. The fire tortoise would often start weeping out of sadness, joy, or even anger. It would also puff out smoke from its nostrils and shell, something that became sort of a running gag.
Torkoal's most memorable moment in the anime came when it battled a Registeel at the Kanto Battle Frontier. It put up an impressive fight but ended up losing. Despite all its admirable traits, Torkoal never received the same protagonist as Sceptile or even Corphish. During Ash's recent trip to Oak's lab, where it reunited with all his previous Pokémon, Torkoal wasn't even present.
Donphan
Ash first receives Phanpy as an egg during his Johto journey, as a present from Mr. Shellby and Kimie. It hatched a couple of episodes later, revealing the overly playful and energetic mon. Ash leaves Phanpy with Oak before traveling to Hoenn, but the elephant rejoins the team when Ash challenges the Battle Frontier.
Once it evolves into Donphan, it becomes a tank, literally. It then becomes one of Ash's strongest Pokémon and even makes an appearance at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Donphan showed so much promise, considering Ash's Johto team was somewhat unimpressive. Alas, it spent most of its Johto time as a Phanpy and never got a chance to shine.
Boldore
Ash's Unova team isn't as memorable as others, mainly because it lacks a star, a Pokémon that sticks out and elevates the entire team. Ash first met Boldore as a Roggenrola, and the rock managed to beat both Oshawott and Tepig. After battling Team Rocket together, Roggenrola challenged Ash to another battle, where it lost against Tepig.
It evolved into Boldore during Ash's Gym Battle against Clay and was eventually a part of Ash's team at the Vertress Conference. Despite its rugged appearance, Boldore was overly affectionate towards Ash and friendly towards other people. It's a shame it didn't get more time in the spotlight.
Unfezant
Out of all the regional birds in Pokémon, Unfezant is without a doubt the least notable. This plain Pokémon failed to register with fans during the Generation V games, and not even a long stint in Ash's team changed the public's perception of it.
Pidove was the first Pokémon that Ash caught in Unova. Fans witnessed it evolve into a Tranquill and later Unfezant, but nothing about the bird stuck out. Indeed, Unfezant was a very calm and collected Pokémon that enjoyed helping others, but its mellow personality made it easy to forget its presence.
Glalie
Glalie first appeared as a mischievous Snorunt who constantly played pranks on Ash and his friends. A running gag in the Pokémon anime had it being unable to control its powers, and it would go around freezing people using Ice Beam, especially Ash.
Like many of Ash's Pokémon, Snorunt evolves into Glalie during a confrontation with Team Rocket. It retains its wicked sense of humor and constantly giggles, even in battle. After his journey in Hoenn ends, Ash leaves Glalie with Professor Oak before heading towards Sinnoh. It returns one last time during the Lily of the Valley Conference, but Ash never uses it.
Palpitoad
Another of Ash's Unova Pokémon was the rowdy Palpitoad. It shared an intense love for battling, making it an ideal Pokémon for Ash. Considering this, it's all the more strange that it didn't feature more prominently in the anime.
Caught by Ash in the middle of his journey through the region, Palpitoad never became a popular member of the team. In fact, it has the distinction of being absent for the most consecutive episodes out of any Pokémon in rotation, missing a total of 36. Palpitoad also appeared in only nine episodes in the entire Black & White anime, which explains why so few people remember it.
Beedrill
Ash caught Beedrill at a Bug-catching contest that he ultimately won. Winners got to keep the caught Pokémon as a prize, but Ash chose to give Beedrill to Casey because of her love of yellow and black-striped Pokémon.
Beedrill stayed with Ash for less than an episode, and he never actually used it in any way. It made more sense with Casey, and a brief scene in the spin-off series Pokémon Chronicles reveals that Beedrill has since become one of Casey's main Pokémon.
Tauros
Many things about Ash Ketchum remain unknown by even the most loyal fans. One unanswered question is how he came to own 30 Tauros, which he also keeps at Oak's lab. Ash caught all 30 in the Safari Zone in the episode "The Legend of Dratini." It happened by accident because they all kept running in front of his Pokéball whenever he tried to make a catch.
Ash only used one of those Tauros in active battle, and it even became a crucial member of his team. The other 29, however, remain with Oak to this day, never once being used by Ash.